Latest KFF Health News Stories
New California Coronavirus Case May Be First In U.S. Without A Link To Travel Abroad
The patient arrived at UC Davis Medical Center from another hospital on Feb. 19. The staff requested COVID-19 testing by the CDC, but because the patient didn’t fit the CDC’s existing criteria for the virus, a test wasn’t immediately administered. “We have been anticipating the potential for such a case in the U.S., and given our close familial, social and business relationships with China, it is not unexpected that the first case in the U.S. would be in California,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the California Department of Public Health.
First Edition: February 27, 2020
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Your School Assignment For The Day: Spelling And Specs
In California’s rural Central Valley, low-income children have limited access to vision care. School districts are teaming up with nonprofits to fill the gaps.
They Fell In Love Helping Drug Users. But Fear Kept Him From Helping Himself.
Sarah and Andy fell in love while working to keep drug users from overdosing. But when his own addiction reemerged, Andy’s fear of returning to prison kept him from the best treatment.
Watch: One Father’s Fight Against ‘Predatory’ Drug Price
“CBS This Morning” looks at the latest “Bill of the Month” installment. A drug implant for children has a price tag of $37,300, while one used in adults with the same active ingredient goes for $4,400.
Demócratas agudizan ataques al sistema de salud, al ritmo de las primarias
En el debate número 10 realizado en Charleston, Carolina del Sur, también se unieron para atacar al senador por Vermont Bernie Sanders, actual favorito.
Editorial pages focus on these health issues and others.
Opinion writers weigh in on issues surrounding efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Media outlets report on news from West Virginia, Illinois, North Carolina, California, Virginia, Missouri, Georgia, and Massachusetts.
Critics question the timing of opening a new facility and if it will provide oversight to prevent abuses at other sites. News on migrant crisis is from California, also.
A small study in England reinforces the idea that exercise should be part of the plan to lower weight. Some of the new exercisers, while saying they still like cookies, were less likely to want the cookie. Public health news is on food label information, rare diseases, clinical trial data, sodium in sports drinks, eating disorders, cognitive screening debate, and E. coli outbreaks, as well.
Stat obtained a copy of the 2016 deal that allowed Google to obtain valuable data stored in health records in order to develop algorithms while also taking precautions to protect data. Health technology news is also on Amazon’s joint venture.
“I will not prejudge where this investigation will lead,” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a statement, “but we will follow every fact and are prepared to take strong action in conjunction with states across the nation to protect public health.”
CMS Axes New York’s Plan To Extend Its Medicaid Reform Program After State Asked For $8B In Funding
In denying New York’s request, the federal government is refusing to support the way the state is trying to change its delivery system to care for people in community medical facilities rather than in hospitals. It is rejecting the application but not eliminating funding that was already promised. Other Medicaid news comes from Minnesota and West Virginia.
The legislation would have all but ban abortions after 20 weeks and mandate care for babies of failed abortions–a measure that’s widely criticized as unnecessary by abortion rights advocates. The debate turned heated, with Republicans repeatedly accusing Democrats of favoring killing babies.
The Colorado Health Insurance Option formula’s base rate is 155% of Medicare rates, but hospitals’ individual rates would vary based on hospital type. Hospitals are still wary about the option, though. It seems likely hospitals will have to raise costs for people with insurance plans that aren’t part of the state option, said Katherine Mulready, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for the Colorado Hospital Association.
News on the epidemic is from Tennessee and Rhode Island, as well.
“The math does not add up,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said of rival and front-runner Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) “Medicare for All” plan. Sanders earlier in the week released a proposal on how he’d cover the costs of his ambitious progressive agenda, but other candidates and experts are questioning how accurate his numbers are. Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden went after the front-runner as well for his past stance on guns.
The official messaging from China’s government is struggling to overcome the anger that’s been boiling up on social media about how the party’s leaders failed to handle the coronavirus outbreak. In other news out of China: new cases continue to drop, telemedicine comes in handy, medical workers are burning out, and more.
Italy Reports 45% One-Day Jump In Coronavirus Cases And Country’s Leaders Rush To Allay Panic
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte admits that a hospital in the northern town of Codogno mishandled the region’s first coronavirus case which contributed to the deadly virus’ spread. Meanwhile, a Spanish hotel is still in lock down as officials attempt to trace the infection path of an Italian doctor and his partner.